Staff picks

For many years, an old tape from 1988/89 lay dormant somewhere in the vaults of Quorthon's Heavenshore Studio, and it was probably due to the pressure and the pestering of his fans that exactly 25 years ago - on May 27, 1996 - these almost forgotten recordings were finally allowed to see the light of day.
Thank God Odin!
For even if Bathory's ninth studio album is somewhat overshadowed by previous milestones such as Blood Fire Death and Hammerheart, it is nevertheless one of the most important albums in Bathory's impressive discography. Because on the one hand, it marks the departure from the widely unpopular retro-thrash phase of Requiem and Octagon, and on the other hand, it is a return to Quorthon's true strengths: timeless Viking metal ballads such as "Man Of Iron", "The Woodwoman" and "The Lake", and epic battle hymns like "Gods Of Thunder Of Wind And Of Rain".

"Realms of the shadows bring me no fear
I may stand or be beaten and torn
The mountains will stand but the life of a man
Was decided long before he was born."